Lay beam assembly



Sept. 17, 1963 s. F. REED ETAL LAY BEAM ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 8, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet l lNl/E/VTORS STANLEY F. REED DANIEL E. HOUGHTON EMMETT F. DEADY A TTOR/VE Y Sept. 17, 1963 s. F. REED ETAL LAY BEAM ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 8. 1960 N O D Y EHD EGA RUE .m F .F VIE b Lun O E .IN NM ETAM VSDE W ATTORNEY Sept. 17, 1963 s. F. REED ETAL LAY BEAM ASSEMBLY Fild Nov. 8, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 STANLEY F. REED DANIEL'E. HOUGHTON EMMETT F.Dl-IADY B) ATTORNEY Sept. 17, 1963 s. F. REED ETAL LAY BEAM ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed NOV. 8. 1960 oOm 02mm hum;

Sum 92 25m b3 m2 mm MJQQMI 0200mm DANIEL E.- HOUGHTON EMMETT F. DEADY A 7' TORNE Y United States Patent 3,103,954 LAY BEAM ASSEMBLY Stanley F. Reed, McLean, and Daniel E. Houghton and Emmett F. Dearly, Arlington, Va, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Cambridge Wire Cloth Company, Cambridge, Md.

Filed Nov. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 68,021 4 tClaims. (Cl. 139-488) The invention relates to novel apparatus to be utilized with shuttleless looms, and more particularly, relates to shuttleless looms which are specially designed-for the production of wire cloth fabrics. I

Apparatus of the class to which the present invention pertains, heretofore provided for the continuous feeding of warp wires through heddles and for the interweaving of weft wires with the warp wires by feeding the weft wires on bobbins and shuttles back and forth between alternate warp wires during the operation of the heddles to effect the warp shed.

In such prior art machines the weft wires are positioned in the bite of the warp shed by means of a lay beam carrying a reed through which the warp wires pass, that serves to push the weft wires, which are laid thereagainst, into proper position.

The weft Wires in such a machine are introduced into the warp shed by means of a shuttle arrangement carried by the lay beam in close proximity to the reed thereof. The weft wire supply is spooled on a bobbin which is arranged to be transferred back and forth to the opposite ends of the lay beam each time the heddles shift to change the warp shed. Before the return of the bobbin, during the next cycle of operation, a retractable finger is disposed in the path of the wire adjacent the selvage of the fabric being formed which serves to retain the Wire at this point, and upon the return movement of the bobbin, pennits the wire being paid therefrom to be laid in parallelism with the preceding weft wire, and joined to the latter by a hair-pin curve at the selvage. This operation is carried on to lay the Weft wire in endless serpentine form back and forth between the warp wires until the weft wire supply on the bobbin is exhausted.

It then becomes necessary for a full bobbin to be substituted for the exhausted bobbin, and this, in turn, requires that the machine be shut down and that the end of the new supply be spliced or Welded to the end of the Weft wire of the old supply. This operation, in addition to causing an unsightly defect at the joint of the weft Wires in the fabric, is particularly undesirable in view of the number of times it has to be done during any substantial operating period of the machines. The frequency with which bobbins have to be replaced is directly proportional to the size of the wires in the fabric being made; the larger the fabric mesh, the heavier the component wires thereof, and a corresponding diminution of the linear length of the weft wire supply that can be accommodated on an ordinary bobbin. Machines made of larger and heavier construction so as to admit of the use of larger bobbins prove to be impractical because they are slow, cumbersome, and expensive.

The limitations imposed upon the amount of weft wire that can be supplied by the bobbin and shuttle method of feed cannot be circumvented until the source of supply is disassociated from the moving parts of the machine, and is placed in stationary relation to the moving pants, whereby much larger supplies can be accommodated, and replenished from time to time, without requiring that the operation of the machine be interrupted.

Such an arrangement for feeding weft wire would offer the same convenience in continuity of operation and perfection of finished fabric as are derived from the method of feeding warp wires to such looms. Even more desirable does such an arrangement become in view of the fact that it would eliminate the bobbin and shuttle arrangement, which has been the seat of many structural elements and mechanical movements requiring constant maintenance.

"Wire-weaving machines providing a stationary weft wire supply are known to the prior art; however, no commercially feasible apparatus has yet been disclosed to adapt such apparatus to a high speed wire-weaving operation.

It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a loom of the class described of greatly simplified construction, wherein weft wires are introduced into the warp shed from a stationary supply depot, separate and apart from the moving elements of the loom; to introduce weft wires into association with warp wires in a loom mechanism without employing bobbins and shuttles for this purpose; and to provide a loom having a means for guiding, receiving, holding, and delivering weft wires into accurate association with warp wires to be permanently locked therewith to form a fabric.

It is a further object to provide a loom of greatly simplified construction adapted to high speed operation which will manufacture fabrics of this type efiiciently, economically, and with great uniformity of mesh, symmetry of design, and high fidelity of reproduction.

it is a further object to provide novel apparatus for processing wires into fabric to achieve the desired ends hereinbefore and hereinafter set forth.

With the foregoing, and ancillary objects in view, we propose to effect one embodiment of our invention as follows:

The present invention is concerned primarily with a novel apparatus for handling the weft wire during the transmission thereof between the stationary supply spool and the final position of such wire within the warp shed prior to the forward motion of the reed; and the coaction of such novel apparatus with the conventional portions of loom apparatus in wire cloth fabrication. The features of improvement of the present invention over prior art apparatus will be readily apparent when the drawings appended hereto are considered in the light of the following specification:

As in the case of prior art patents, warp wires are fed through suitable guides and tensioning devices to heddles, comprising the usual pair of vertically reciprocable frames, each of which has means for engaging alternate warp wires respectively. The heddles are actuated to provide the warp shed so that the weft wire may be interwoven with the warp wires to form the completed fabric. However, instead of the bobbin and shuttle means or other weft wire positioning means disclosed in prior art patents, the present invention contemplates the introduction of the weft wire to the warp wires from a stationary supply spool from which it is pulled by suitable means; the same means also being effective to push the weft wire, in conjunction with suitable end treatment means and guides adjacent thereto, into proper association with the warp wires within the shed of the latter. Thereafter, the heddle frames are reversed and the fabric is passed on to a take-up or reel as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The refinements of construction and detail of operation characterizing the present invention, though not touched upon in the foregoing general outline, will be clearly understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic top plan view of a loom according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic side elevational view thereof; I

FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the reed and closure elements thereof, taken I along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged side elevational view of the lay beam and auxiliary elements therefor;

FIG. is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the apparatus of FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the weft feeding device thereof;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of the apparatus of FIGS. 7 and 8; and

FIG. is a timing cycle chart therefor.

In the following description and in the claims, various details will be identified by specific means for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit.

Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, certain specific disclosure of the invention is made for purposes of explanation but it will be understood that the details may be modified in various respects without departure from the broad aspect of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a conventional type loom is shown to which the invention is applied. Conventional parts of the loom are shown somewhat diagrammatically and a simple form of loom is shown for purposes of clarity. It will be understood that the invention is directed primarily to the weft positioning apparatus, and to the manner in which this apparatus is utilized in the operation of the loom.

The loom comprises, in general, a suitable supporting framework indicated by 1; warp beam 2, from which the warp wires 3 are fed in the direction of the arrow 4 over warp roll 6; lea bar 6; harness 7 comprising heddle frame assemblies 8 and 9 operating the warp shed 10; lay beam 11 carrying reed 12 and a closure element 13 therefor; breast beam 14 over which the finished fabric 18 passes; take-up roll 15 supporting the finished fabric 18 Weft wire 16 is projected into the warp shed 10 by means of weft feeding device 17. The warp beam 2 is suitably journaled in framework 1 and has the warp wires wound thereon as is well known. Any suitable means may be provided for driving or letting oif the warp beam.

The warp threads are divided into two groups, A and B, passing over and under lea bar 6 to form the warp shed 10. The shed 10 is opened and closed by the barness 7 which comprises heddle frame assemblies 8 and 9. It will be understood that when one frame assembly 9 is up as shown in FIG. 2, the other frame assembly 8 is down and that the positions of these frame assemblies are always opposite, as is well known in the art. A detailed disclosure of the loom harness shown diagrammatically as element 7 in this application is contained in a separate application by the inventors hereof and filed herewith, entitled: Loom Harness, Serial Number 68,020, now US. Patent Number 3,088,496, issued May 7, 1963.

Warp beam 2, take-up roll 15, heddle frame assemblies 8 and 9, and lay beam 11 are all connected to a source of power through suitable belts, gear trains, cams, and linkages in a conventional manner. For purposes of simplication these conventional loom elements are not shown in the drawings, but may be similar to the analogous portions of U.S. Patent No. 2,363,415.

Referring further to FIG. 3, lay beam 11 is shown in solid lines in the weft weaving or beat-up position and in broken lines in the weft feeding position. It will be noted that a guide recess 72 in closure element 13 (see FIG. 1) coacts with the working face 71 of reed 12 to provide a weft receiving passageway 73 when the lay beam 11 is in the weft feeding position. Both lay beam 11 and closure element 13 are pivoted on framework 1 and are so linked that closure element 13 rotates faster than lay beam 11 whenever they are moved toward the weft weaving position, thereby opening passageway 73 and retracting closure element 13 completely out of the warp shed 10. It should be noted that whenever lay beam 11 and reed 12 are in the weft weaving position, as shown in solid lines, the working face 71 of reed 12 is perpendicular to the plane of the warp adjacent to shed 10 and the finished fabric 18. The orientation provides maximum efficiency in the utilization of the energy required to make the final placement of each weft wire into the fabric.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 to 9, the weft feeding device 17 is shown. The supply source for weft wire 16 is spool mounting assembly 19 which is stationary with respect to supporting framework 1. A spool of weft wire with enough wire to supply the loom for a substantial operating period is mounted on a shaft supported on framework 1 within spool mounting assembly 19. The axis of this spool is aligned with the axis of conical container 22 so that weft wire 16 will uncoil therefrom and pay out of the spool over the end thereof nearest weft feeding device 17. In order to remove irregularities in wire 16 and to provide uniform tension therein, wire straightener 23 is provided intermediate spool mounting assembly 19 and weft feeding device 17. Depending upon the space available, a wire guide tube 24 (see FIG. 1) may be provided to confine and direct the wire around any curves required. After leaving wire straightener 23, Weft wire 16 is directed into weft feeding device 17 through bore 25 in body 26 which is chamfered at 27 to facilitate the feeding of weft wire 16 thereinto. A detailed disclosure of the weft feeding device shown as element 17 of this application is contained in a separate application by the inventors hereof and filed herewith, entitled: Method and Apparatus for Weft Projection, Serial Number 68,022. For the purposes of this application, it is sufficient to understand that device 17, by the intermittent oscillation of idler wheel 29 towards feed wheel 30 projects weft wire 16 through bore 25 which is aligned with the working face 71 of reed 12 whenever lay beam 11 is in the weft feeding position, After weft wire 16 has been projected into warp shed 10, shaft 37 with a rotary shear element 74 depending into bore 25 rotates to shear weft wire 16 against a stationary shear element 75 set within body 26, and thereafter rotates further to bend the end of weft wire 16 degrees. During the rotation of shaft 37, a clamp member 76 is depressed by face cam 77 to lock weft wire 16 within bore 25 in fixed relation to the body 26.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 "L0 6, lay beam 11 is pivotally secured to framework 1 by means of at least two pins 51 secured in lay pivot brackets 52. Lay pivot brackets 52 are secured to the top cover of camshaft housing 53 (see FIG. 2) which is mounted directly on framework 1. At the lower end of lay beam 11, a lay cam follower 54 is mounted. It will be understood that lay cam follower 54 is arranged to be reciprocated by conventional cam means rotating within camshaft housing 53. At the upper end of lay beam 11 a reed 12 is fixedly mounted. A closure element support mounting 55 is pivotally mounted at each side of framework '1 by pivot mounts 56 fixedly secured to framework 1. A driving arm 57 is fixedly secured to lay beam 11 at each end thereof by screw 61 to form a unitary lay beam assembly, and arm 57 is connected to support mounting 55 by link 58 pivoted at one end 59 to arm 57 and pivoted at the other end 60 to support mounting 55. A closure element 13 is fixedly secured to support mounting 55. Closure element 13 has a guide recess 72 running the entire length thereof.

Referring further to FIG. 3, it will be understood that lay beam 11 and closure element support mounting 55 are reciprocable between a weft weaving position and a weft feeding position. Both reed 12 and closure element 13 have cornbdike configurations with the teeth thereof being open at the top thereof and aligned in the vertical plane of the warp shed. This provides space between the teeth so that the operation of the heddles can supply the necessary shedding motion to the warp wires associated therewith.

Referring now to FIGURE a timing cycle chart showing the time correlation of the opera-tion of applicants novel loom structure when utilized to weave ordinary quadrangular fabrics is illustrated. Curve B shows the vertical displacement of the heddle frame assembly 8 closest to the fell 70 (see FIG. 3) of the cloth 1S. Curve A shows the vertical displacement of the adjacent heddle frame assembly 9. It will be noted that the heddle frame assembly 9 represented by curve A moves substantially farther than the heddle frame assembly 8 represented by curve B, but that their motions always start and stop at the same time and are oppositely directed at all times. Curve C shows the radial or substantially horizontal displacement of lay beam 11 and reed 12 integral therewith. It will be noted that the heddle frame assemblies 8 and 9 reverse their positions while reed 12 is in the weft weaving or forward position thereby locking the last weft element in place. Curves E and E show the relative displacement of the face of closure element 13 from the working face 71 of reed 12. The width between E and E represents the depth of guide recess 72. Straight line D represents a stationary position for reed 12 so that the significant relative position of closure element 13 therefrom may be illustrated. It will be noted that the closure element l3 remains closed during the time that lay beam 11 and reed 12 are in the weft feeding position, thereby coacting with the working face 71 of reed 12 to provide an encircling weft receiving passageway 73 therebetween. Further, it will be noted that closure element 13 retracts prior to the lay beam 11 and reed 12 obtaining the weft weaving position thereby releasing the last weft element so that the final position thereof may be immediately adjacent to the next to-last weft element without any confining guide element therebetween during the final positioning thereof. Curve F shows that the weft element is projected into the weft receiving passageway only when the lay beam 11 and reed 12 are in the weft feeding or rearward position and that the closure element 13 is always in the closed position for a short interval both before and after this feeding motion. Curve G shows the relative notary oscillations of rotary shear element 74 which rotates approximately 30 degrees before engaging stationary shear element 75 and then continues to rotate in a clockwise direction until the 180 degree bend is formed, and then returns to the weft passage open position. It willbe noted that this 360 degree bend and return motion of the rotary shear takes only 270 degrees of the weaving cycle, and that during the other 90 degrees thereof, the weft passage is open to allow the weft feed to function in timed relation thereto, see curve F. Curve H shows the clamping action required to provide stability to the free end of the weft wire 16 during the bend and shear position of the cycle. Some means must be provided to prevent weft wire 16 from moving away from the warp shed during the bend portion of the weaving cycle. A convenient means for supplying this clamping action is 6 clamp member 76 actuated by face cam 77. However, instead of this intermittent positive clamping action, any of the well-known one-way restraining devices may be employed to permit weft wire 16 to move only towards the warp shed at all times.

The invention has been described in connection with an exemplary embodiment thereof, but it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by way of illustration and not limitation; changes and modifications in the details of the apparatus can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a loom, the combination comprising: a supporting framework; a lay beam assembly directly pivoted on said framework on fixed pivots; a reed having a working face supported on said lay beam assembly in fixed relation thereto, said lay beam assembly pivotable between Weft feeding and weft beat-up positions; a closure element directly pivoted on said framework on fixed pivots, said closure element comprising a guide recess; and said lay beam assembly and said closure element connected by a link directly pivoted to said lay beam assembly and said closure element so that when said lay beam assembly is in said feeding position, said reed and said guide recess cooperates to provide a weft p'assageway, and when said lay beam assembly is pivoted toward said beat-up position, said closure element is rotated away from said reed before said lay beam assembly reaches said beat-up position.

2. The combination as set forth in claim 1, wherein;

both said reed and said closure element have a comb-like.

configuration and are open at the top thereof.

3. In a wire fabric loom, the combination comprising: a stationary support means; means for forming a warp shed mounted on said support means, including means for maintaining a plane of the warp adjacent to said warp shed; a reed assembly directly pivoted on said support means on fixed pivots, said reed assembly pivotable between a weft feeding position and a weft beat-up position, and including a reed having a working face; a closure element directly pivoted on said support means on fixed pivots, said closure element comprising a guide recess; and said closure element and said reed assembly connected by a link directly pivoted to said reed assembly and said closure element so that when said reed assembly is in said feeding position, said working face of said reed cooperates with said guide recess to provide a weft passageway with-in said shed, and when said reed assembly is pivoted toward said beat-up position said closure element is rotated beneath said plane of the warp before said reed assembly reaches said beat-up position.

4. The combination'as set forth in claim 3, wherein; both said reed and said closure element'have a comb like configuration and are open'at the top thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,706,371 Ambler Mar. 19, 1929 2,355,159 Harter Aug. 8, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 571,407 France Feb. 1, 1924 

1. IN A LOOM, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A SUPPORTING FRAMEWORK; A LAY BEAM ASSEMBLY DIRECTLY PIVOTED ON SAID FRAMEWORK ON FIXED PIVOTS; A REED HAVING A WORKING FACE SUPPORTED ON SAID LAY BEAM ASSEMBLY IN FIXED RELATION THERETO, SAID LAY BEAM ASSEMBLY PIVOTABLE BETWEEN WEFT FEEDING AND WEFT BEAT-UP POSITIONS; A CLOSURE ELEMENT DIRECTLY PIVOTED ON SAID FRAMEWORK ON FIXED PIVOTS, SAID CLOSURE ELEMENT COMPRISING A GUIDE RECESS; AND SAID LAY BEAM ASSEMBLY AND SAID CLOSURE ELEMENT CONNECTED BY A LINK DIRECTLY PIVOTED TO SAID LAY BEAM ASSEMBLY AND SAID CLOSURE ELEMENT SO THAT WHEN SAID LAY BEAM ASSEMBLY IS IN SAID FEEDING POSITION, SAID REED AND SAID GUIDE RECESS COOPERATES TO PROVIDE A WEFT PASSAGEWAY, AND WHEN SAID LAY BEAM ASSEMBLY IS PIVOTED TOWARD SAID BEAT-UP POSITION, SAID CLOSURE ELEMENT IS ROTATED AWAY FROM SAID REED BEFORE SAID LAY BEAM ASSEMBLY REACHES SAID BEAT-UP POSITION. 